A Unit of the United States Power Squadrons®

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Membership and Benefits

Membership benefits

Our members are boating families who contribute to their communities by promoting safe boating through education. We enjoy participating with our fellow members on the water and in the classroom. Enjoy friendship and camaraderie on-the-water and off with members who are skilled in boating. From on-the-water activities like cruises, rendezvous, raft-ups or fishing derbies to activities ashore, such as marine programs, picnics, ice cream socials and educational programs, we offer many opportunities for fun and boating education. Learn more.

Education

Public Boating Programs:

* America’s Boating Course is our primary civic effort toward public instruction in the fundamentals of safe boating. Both short (8-hour) and long (12-hour) formats are designed to familiarize the student with the fundamentals of safe boating and qualify for certification in most states that require boating education before operating a watercraft. Subjects include:

Boat handling under normal conditions

Adverse conditions and emergencies

Types of boats and boating terminology

Required and recommended equipment

Boating regulations and navigation rules

Lines and knots

Charts and aids to navigation (in 12-hour format only)

Piloting techniques (in 12-hour format only)

Marine radiotelephone usage

Trailer boating

* Paddle Smart is a USPS seminar on a series of topics created especially for paddle sports. There is also a related Paddle Smartweb site. Web site topics include:

Membership Education Program. Our members are eligible to take other boating classes including:

Seamanship – The Seamanship course is the next step after completing America’s Boating Course. Learn more

Piloting – Piloting is the first course in the sequence of USPS courses on navigation, covering the basics of coastal and inland navigation. Learn more

Advanced Piloting – Advanced Piloting is the second in the sequence of USPS courses on navigation. Learn more

Junior Navigation – Junior Navigation is the first in a two-part program of study in offshore navigation, followed by the Navigation course. Learn more

Navigation – this course is the second part of the study of offshore navigation, further developing the student’s understanding of celestial navigation theory. Learn more

Cruise Planning – The Cruising and Cruise Planning course focuses on the planning and preparation necessary for safe enjoyable extended cruises on both inland and coastal waters. Learn more

Engine maintenance – The Engine Maintenance course has been put into one ten chapter course that stresses the diagnosis of modern systems, while also teaching the basics of engine layout and operation. Learn more

Sailing – This course was created to serve the needs of the novice and experienced sailor, as well as the non-sailor, for basic skills and knowledge. Learn more

Weather – The safety and comfort of those who venture out-on-the water have always been weather dependent. In this course students will become keener observers of the weather, but weather observations only have meaning in the context of the basic principles of meteorology — the science of the atmosphere. Learn more

Current Class Underway: The FSPS Sailing Course started October 9 with instructor, Sid Thrash. Our first lessons dealt with the importance of terminology and communication. There are a few terms that spill over from power boating, but many of the new words introduced deal strictly with the sailing rigs. The types of sailboats also have very different names than power boating types: catboat, ketch, yawl, sloop,
schooner.

Become a Member. If you like having a fun time on the water, join us. Take boating courses, join your fellow members on cruises and rendezvous, and participate in civic service activities. Becoming a member of USPS requires passing a boating safety course taught by a local squadron (or another approved organization) and being sponsored by a squadron member. Successfully completing the USPS boating course meets the educational requirements for boat operation in all U.S. states.

A “merit mark” (MM) is awarded by the chief commander to a member for substantial personal effort in furthering the interest, programs and objectives of USPS, its districts and squadrons. It is a coveted award; it is by and large the only official recognition members receive for their efforts. Learn more.

Become a me

USPS Boat Insurance Program.

This program is available only to USPS members and is based on the premise that USPS members represent a class of “preferred risk” boaters by the virtue of their formal education in the care and operation of boats. Boaters can expect to save a lot of $$ over other boat insurance policies. Learn more.

Boating safety courses

FSPS offers boating safety courses for the public several times each year as well as advanced training courses for our members. These will be posted on this site as they are scheduled.